The Dark Descent
by aftermathis2ndary
Summary: Guilt is what keeps a person balanced, sane even. However, when guilt is eliminated the darkest killers are allowed to fully embrace murder. Join an assassin in his struggle with both coping with change and steadying his fragile psyche.


~~I know I blow at summaries, especially with only two hundred words to do it with - Plus, trying to keep some things anonymous to try and not give things away is difficult for me... Anyway I had a pretty good idea and hopefully my mind will let me run with it and see it through! Hope you enjoy! Well, without further adieu, let's begin our descent~~

Greed is a silly thing, really. It's so easily avoided and yet so beautify crafty, not to mention one of mans most treacherous adversaries. To bend to the beholder's innermost (or sometimes incredibly blatant) wishes, what a wonderfully crippling attribute! Twist the will of the weak man and he will complete anything for a reward, dangle temptation in his face and he will not be able to resist. I envy those who are able to tame greed and call upon their foes for they seem to be the most formidable of any enemy.

They say as you lay dying your final thoughts tend to reflect how you lived in full. My body broken and defeated, mind slowly losing grip with reality, has brought me to revel on this statement. Why was greed the last thing on my mind? Did I live my entire life blinded by deadly sin? I disagree, mind, stop saying such things. I can hear my own laughter over the crackling of the flames and thunderous booms of the smashing wooden banisters that once held together our proud sanctuary. Look at me lying here debating weather or not I have been a good little boy! Only Sithis can judge me now.

I am trying hard to ignore the flames biting my arms for attention and the smoke threatening to suffocate the life out of me. I am trying very hard to ignore the sweet lull of death calling me to be stressful nevermore yet I feel myself slowly scumming to his voice. Maybe I am not as adverse to temptation as I thought.

There was kind of a morbidly beautiful scene playing out before me. Dancing ashes kicked up everywhere finding hungry flames to tango with swirling lid a vortex to the ceiling. Banisters holding devoured Dark Brotherhood flags crashed to the floor in a blaze of brilliant reds and yellows. Though the heat was nearing unbearable temperatures, the scene was almost a twisted take on winter; being alone now it was just as peaceful. I gave up on escaping a while ago, smashing flames literally broke my will to try. I saw this as a fitting, however untimely, death for a Child of Darkness. Our whole careers were bent around serving a Father of Flames and to go out in them was, I guess, the best way to go. I believe most, if not all, of the Family who resided within along with me have made their trip to see our Dread Father, and I was nearing my own journey.

I actually pity the poor soul who started the blaze, I know, I know it sounds silly. We had known about a betrayal for quite some time yet the slippery bastard was good. We were actually arguing about who we thought was the culprit when the door slammed shut and the flames roared to life. I had voiced my suspicions about a young dark sister we picked up not too long ago and was willing to bet she had something to do with it. She was too sweet and mysterious for my taste but for our Family Leader took an odd liking to her, something I haven't been able to accomplish, so she was less than inclined to believe me. I silently took back my accusations and gave my apologies as I passed her burnt up corpse when I dragged myself to where I now lay, staring blankly at the ceiling. My eyes were becoming heavy with eternal sleep and I finally decided gave in. A shroud of darkness enveloped my being. Goodnight forever, my sweet Bruma; my sanctuary, my home

Dread Lord is that you? I can finally hear you calling! So peaceful, so calm! Darkness rises all around me and I feel completely weightless; floating in the abyss of nothingness, in the Void! I have finally made it into eternal slumber and I couldn't be happier! Suddenly shocks reverberate throughout my being, I can feel my limbs slowly regaining their mortal heaviness, I begin to fall. No, NO! This is completely unfair! Tumbling wildly I flail to grasp onto anything I can however fine wisps of darkness are not tangible and cannot steady my fall. Black becomes more gray with each second that passes. No! Unfair! Take me back! Pain fills my limbs again, mortality hits smacks me in the face and my mind resurfaces into a light consciousness. The burning, by the Nine, the burning! My entire body uncontrollably writhes and seizes, clenching and unclenching muscles I didn't even know I possessed. My vision was the second to last sense to come back and I nearly lost it again staring in confusion as dazzling blue and white sparks danced across my skin. Finally the ringing, the piercing ringing, made it's way into my skull. The ringing alone caused the inside of my skull to roar in displeasure sending pulsating pain throughout my whole body. Through the ringing someone was screaming and if it wasn't for the ripping sensation in my throat I wouldn't have recognized the scream was emanating from me. Muffled speech forced itself into my brain who, just being dragged back from the brink of death, was less than inclined to properly make any sense of what was going on. Black, fuzzy blobs formed in my vision, long thinner stocks protruded away from me. What the hell, or rather where the hell was I?

Much to my pleasure the sparks stopped barraging me however my body was slow to react and kept on as if they were still present. My brain is still scrambled, frazzled and confused. More garble. More and more garble. I soon register they want me to respond however I have no words for them and remain silent. As time passes I hear three distinct voices, two male and one female.

"Wabej ullp!" The tone was grating and most likely male. If I had any energy left in my body what-so-ever I would have most likely flipped them off, or killed them just for annoying me. "Wakll ullp" I managed to turn my head away from them and shut my eyes, maybe I can still grasp onto the Void and slither my way back in. "Wake the hell up!" Well, at least I know I can hear again and finally the seizing stopped. I kept my head turned and eyes shut, hoping they would leave me alone. Still slightly muffled I could only make out something along the lines of "What thar we Grenda who?". I started to giggle but the pain in my chest stole the laugh from my chest as quickly as it came. Someone was moving my face, boney fingers digging into my cheeks, twisting my head around and finally stopping to make sure I still had a pulse. "He's still here!" So help me Sithis I will end you! The slight slaps to the face did not help their case. They forced my eyes open and, while still blurry, my vision had cleared up considerably. Male, dark robes, dark hair. "Good morning, assassin!" They said, bitter sarcasm in their tone. "Welcome back!" They paused for some stupid reason, probably wanting me to respond. "Shy, are we? That's not what I have heard about you! No, no, no!" They made an annoying tisk noise, the anger boiling up in my being was going to explode. I managed to spit directly into the center of his smug face and smirk, he only laughed. "There is the fire I've heard about." For a minute nothing happened, then my vision was clouded by white pain as his hand ripped across my face, dazzling my vision in white. "He's alive, Mina." My eyes shot open, Mina. I had never felt as much hatred and anger well up within my body as I did when her name was spoken.

"The mighty assassin has made it out alive! Welcome to hell, Cicero."


End file.
